千百七十： まだ雨？

today it was raining since morning.

nothing much to talk about these few days. every day was routine.. wake up at 6.30am, go office at 7.30am, work until 8pm then go home. dinner at 9-10pm.

there was 日本語 lesson last nite, and the vocab was getting difficult. there were more people in the class now and mostly working adults. and the grouse i have is they expect the teacher to spoonfeed them. they don't want to check or don't have time to check the dictionary and they actually asked the teacher to compile a list of sample sentences, with meaning, usage etc when there were more than 50 words on the vocab list? the teacher looked shocked, i think she also thinks that by level 1, we were probably able to be more independent in studying. and in the end, she made each of us do 10 sentences instead, adding more to our workload which could have been avoided if that lady had not tried to push the teacher to spoonfeed her. -.- grr. but without any self-studying, its almost impossible to pass the exam at the end of this year cos the class has barely taught enuff to remotely even pass level 2. so.. i guess its time to work hard.

reading this book entitled "studying for a degree in the humanities and social sciences" and its pretty insightful. i thought that i should have had the book when i was studying in JC, so passed it to my sis who is finding it quite useful. :)

highlight of the day: a 3 minute phone call with him in the afternoon. he's leaving London today and reaching Japan tomorrow. yay!

千百六十九：heavy rain

never bring umbrella today and got caught in the downpour.

hair was dripping dripping wet when i got into the train.

but 2 gd things happened and i felt abit brighter even under my dripping hair. although things are still dark, sometimes little bright things happen when you are least expecting them.

千百六十八：bamboo grove

these trees take years and years to grow..

千百六十七：Scenic Spot

sunlight passing through the pine needles

千百六十六： drunk people on a flight

i realise that i can't stand people who drink b4 or on a flight and then lose their self control during the flight with no consideration for other people's feelings or public manners.

there was this group of friends who were drinking beer at the snack stand before boarding and this girl was part of the group who in the end turned out to be sitting behind me. i boarded the plane behind them and there is a strong tabacco and alcohol smell drifting to my nostrils from them when i stand in my seat facing them.and the girl has red eyes but smiling strangely like ... abit drunk liao. i was thinking "sighz" and after i sat down and she started talking, i knew it was going to be a long flight. she was talking at at least 10 decibels above the avg human voice level. when the plane started moving, she shouted to the whole plane, (to her friend actually) "its moving its moving!!!" argh. and she kept kicking the back of my seat during the post boarding snack. i was having a major headache, felt like puking, felt very grumpy and was still having cramps and this dumbo had zero consideration for other people. grrr. i didn't want to have any confrontations so i just put on the headphones, on to nearly full (and still can hear her voice) and after that, they off-ed all the lights in the plane, and she finally quietened down when her fren oso stopped listening to her under his headphones. phew.

Kansai airport to Bangkok only takes 5 hours plus. so after the first hour, and i watched drama on my laptop for the next 2-3 hours, stretched out on my 3 people seat (ShiOK!) and i finally got sleepy at bout 4am , slept abit until 5am when they forced us to wake up cos going to reach liao and we had breakfast. and she (the girl behind me) started talking loudly again. sighz. and we landed in thai airport at 4.30am thailand time. :( my next flight was at 8am thai time and i had nowhere to go. now i understand why there are travellers sleeping on the boarding area benches cos i became one of them. tried to sleep while guarding my valuables (very difficult) and woke up at 6+ nearly 7am. still very sleepy and the boarding area was freezing cold.

was able to board the plane at 7.20am finally. conked out until we were halfway in the trip, when brunch was served and after another hour or so , finally back here. bleahz. i am not much for night flights.

千百六十五：derogatory terms

hmm . thanks to summersnow721, we now know the use of the word "jap" is supposed to be derogatory. she shouldnt ever come to singapore i think, cos she will be shocked at how to us, its just a normal word (since we use short forms for everything we speak) with no derogatory intent. i apologise if it offended u but i will say i didn't know and i didn't mean any ill will and i will try to stop writing that ? but i checked it up on the web and although it was derogatory in the past, and still is in some places, it isnt in some others. This is wat wikipedia has to say :

"Jap
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jap (variants: Japo, Japse) is a term denoting anything Japanese. In several English-speaking countries, it has become a racial slur. However, in some other countries, including Australia, it is an acceptable term today[citation needed], to such an extent that school teachers sometimes refer to the Japanese language as the "Jap".

In Japanese dictionaries, the term "Jap" is only defined as a disparaging term used against the Japanese people, like it is the case in many English language dictionaries.[1][2]"

we definitely belong to the australia group. in a normal conversation with ur frens, you would probably hear them ask "so you're learning jap now?" so .. well. no ill will intended since we didn't even noe of such things but at least now we noe. i seriously think this is a worldwide blind spot (using the word Jap) since there's so many sites saying japsomething.com etc.

千百六十四： 部落 Discrimination in Japan

did you know that discrimination exists between Japanese people also?

i was kinda shocked when i found out.

historically, it was like the Indian caste system. the group who did the more impure jobs (removing dead animal bodies, slaughtering of animals, those who crafted leather products (????) ), pertaining to the dead especially, were considered outcasts of the society and became known as the Buraku. even though this caste system existed in the middle ages (edo period), the descendants of these Buraku are still sorta discriminated upon. they live in areas designated by the government, (abit like the black congregations) but they dun look different. they are jap, they look like jap, and they are not criminals, and no one actually noe you are one of the buraku unless by word of mouth. -.- its quite stupid i feel, the discrimination, like its only one street away from where u live and yet the place u live in is safer than that supposed buraku area??

i walked around a supposed buraku area before i knew it was a buraku area and it seemed no different from the other japanese neighbourhoods. in fact, it was the first more affluent neighbourhood i had seen in japan, with 3-storey terrace houses and kids running around in front of the houses (like singapore) . when i found out it was a supposed buraku area, i was kinda angry, for the burakus or the people who do not know or do not dare to go walk around in those areas but yet spoil the reputation of such areas by spreading such news. of cos in schs, they are trying to educate the kids, but if their parents are anti-burakumins, then its hard to remove the biasness.

you can read this site for further information about this discrimination:
http://www.imadr.org/tokyo/ishikawareport.html

千百六十三： The Last Night (day)

we woke up at 11am today and i don't even know what time i fell asleep last night. just dozed off in the midst of a tv show and he took off my specs and placed it on the table while i slept before he himself when to sleep. :) but woke up near dawn to find him shoving his elbow into my mouth in his dreams. =.= hee hee.. we were supposed to go starbucks this morning for breakfast but just as well, can finish up the last pack of coffee.

so he finally woke up after i got his coffee on the table, and we ordered pizza for lunch. tummy was aching today, so i didn't have much appetite and just ate abit and then went to lie down on his lap while he did his work on his laptop.

so he did his work with the tv on, and i had my head on his lap while i helped to check the English parts of his work until evening. had curry udon for dinner at Keihan station and he drove me to the discount store to get tomorrow's meal and then he had to leave le. (T.T) he has to leave for his Europe business trip tomorrow morning and he hasn't packed at all, choosing to spend the day with me. got a little teary and it was horrible to have to say goodbye.

til i see him again, i hope time flies by.

千百六十二：天橋立

i went to Amanohashidate today!



its a beautiful stretch of beach and pine trees and we relaxed on the beach for the whole afternoon after a 2-hour drive there.





the souvenirs there were very cute:



but the shops closed really early, at about 5pm.


and we saw the sunset from the top of 大江山。at least i think thats the name. the first 2 words are correct though. hehe. strange name, but the town is called 大江町 so the mountain is that name bah.



next time, i'll go to 松島, the last of the 3 scenic sights of Japan.

千百六十一： FNN news today

they discussed the removal of Pluto from the solar system today. and went into indepth analysis with the fortune tellers how the removal of the planet will affect their job. hehehehe.. and they interviewed science centers in the country. the Kobe science center said they have stopped explaining about the addition of the 3 news planets since yesterday since pluto seemed to be losing the fight. esp now being the summer vacations, they are confused at what they should teach the kids who are there to learn new stuff. hmm. Pluto is known as 冥王星。strange name. but Neptune is very apt. 海王星。 hee. easy to remember.

oh i went to the science center today. it was fun! very educational, they have displays and hands-ons for everything in our sec sch textbooks (like ampere rule, etc) so the kids have alot of fun.

the next thing on the news program, what bears go wild at. can u believe this, this is a serious news program on the Fuji TV news. and they talking about bears and they fav smells. -.- its the smell of gasoline. they go wild at that and start behaving like they are having orgasms, rolling around on the ground in ecstasy. -.-

now they're talking about and analysing the handsomeness and appeal of the star pitcher of the Waseda High school champion team in the recent high sch baseball championships. -.- i .. dunno wat to say. with all his vital stats listed up in a chart and a big pic of him on the board. *faintzz*

千百六十： チェ

サイテイ。こんなひとがサイテイです。ほかのひとのセイカツ、ジブンとカンケイなしのに、ワウイことイッパイいった。へんじゃない？フツウにダイジョウブけど、とつぜんにそんなハナシが起こした。ケンカしたいですか？

えいがお、えいがお！　(^-^)

---

cooked breakfast of sausages/ eggs/toast this morning.



it was delicious~ (^-^)v was a little afraid that he might find breakfast quantity too little but he loves bread so the toast made up for it.

spent the day doing laundry, cleaning up. took a nap at 4 plus, and woke up at 6pm to prepare dinner. he came home to eat today ~~ at bout 7.30pm, received his call, saying he was on the way home. :)

cooked pad thai noodles for dinner with pumpkin soup. not bad for a first try.

one more day to 天橋立 trip. can't wait!

千百五十九：housewife life

experienced the life of a housewife yesterday.

6.50am:
cooked breakfast. made Metaiko pasta (明太子パスタ）, something like fish roe? its a japanese styled pasta dish, dun need anything besides pasta, fish roe and butter. very convenient yet delicious dish! here's an old photo of the dish:



and made toast, coffee as well.

7.40am:
woke him up, laid out the dishes and got ready everything for him to eat

8.00am:
we had breakfast, watched morning news

8.20am:
he finished and continued to get ready

8.35am:
sent him to the door, goodbye kiss.. hee..

8.50am:
i finished up breakfast, watched weird jap news on tv for another hour ? there's news bout the Colarado child kidnapper/murderer caught from 10 years ago and the jap media are making a big deal out of it. they even have onsite reporters in US speaking to the public asking for their opinion.

9.50am:

cleared up the table, put dishes in the sink and snuggled under the blankets with my pC to chat with xq. the tv shows on seems to be mostly tv shopping programs now. b4 long.. was in zzz land. (#-.-#)

12 noon:
received call from him (which woke me up), asking me if i was in.. he was going to Tokyo for the afternoon for some meetings and wanted me to pick up his laptop when he past by on the way to the airport. so i saw him for a few seconds, goodbye kiss at the lift, and was in my room thinking i wanna zzz again. haha.

1.30pm:
tried to sleep as my head was still groggy but was thinking that it seemed piggy, so in the end, i got up and microwaved the leftover breakfast for lunch. watched Hero and its so interesting! i wonder if they got the idea for the game Phoenix Wright 逆転裁判 from this show. i guess most people enjoy a good court mystery and the fight for 正義 righteousness.

2.00pm:
washed up all dishes at one go.. -.- then washed the towels by hand (the coin laundry is like $2 per use!), made the bed, vacuumed the room, tidied up everything.

3.00pm:
heavy rain. argh. had wanted to go get some food for tomorrow's breakfast. so i took a bath instead.

4.00pm:
getting ready to go out when rain stopped. hmm.

5.00pm:
took out the garbage. confirmed with him dinner plans. had wanted to go meet him and was at Dainichi station when he said to meet at Yodobashi instead. Dainichi is the interchange station to the Osaka MOnorail which goes to the Osaka Airport.



and the weather after the rain yesterday was pretty good. not warm, just windy and cool.



so i had 2-3 hours to kill before he would be back.

6.00pm:
went to the supermarket, got eggs and sausages. went to the tv section in yodobashi and got a TV rack catalog. he's very interested in getting a larger than 40" tv, and true enuff, he was happy to take a look at the catalog during dinner.

8.45pm:
he's back! we ended up having dim sum buffet dinner and a pair of gay guys were at the same table at us. they kept whispering in each other's ears and i felt really uncomfortable, cos they were the sissy type. determined not to be affected, just tried to look everywhere but at them. grr. we had so much to eat ( i had alot, cos he kept pushing things he couldn't finish to me) resulting in me being barely to walk due to a stitch in my midsection after the meal. *groans*

10.00pm:
home sweet home. back in the room.. and he started on his work. he wants me to read some stuff for him from the US subsidiary, and then to check and edit his reply to that side. i like it when he asks me for my opinion or discusses his work stuff with me, cos its then that i feel he actually respects and needs me as an equal, not just a girl.

11.00pm:
while reading his work stuff, was online at the same time. the dumb comments on the tagboard bothered me, i'll admit, and i decided to ask him. he looked shocked and he said "forced??!" and he started laughing. -.- i was like "yah.. if i didn't quarrel, ask u about the future etc, would u have proposed?"

he said, "if u weren't so active, took so much initiative, i would think much less of u. because thats the u i like." hee hee hee!! so sweet!! and he also said, yah, it was horrible to quarrel, but when i did, it made him think about issues he didn't considered b4 and he was sometimes glad we did quarrel cos it made things much clearer for him. it was a nice talk last nite, and he said he knows how hard i am trying, but i have to be understanding of his family who is super old-fashioned. n he said he needed a wife who will support him so that he can give his full focus in his job to perform well for the sake of the family and i felt quite touched in my heart.

yay yay yay! he made me feel alot alot alot more confident of us last night for the first time in this month and those negative people who only knows how to put people down and talk alot of rubbish, go eat shit! humph.

after that, i finally helped him edit his email (he was very happy with it yay!) and we just watched tv together on the bed until i was very drowsy and he pecked me on the lips and i fell asleep with his arms around me. :) :) :)

今天的天气突然变得好晴朗。

千百五十八：Bipolar disorder

What Are the Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder causes dramatic mood swings—from overly "high" and/or irritable to sad and hopeless, and then back again, often with periods of normal mood in between. Severe changes in energy and behavior go along with these changes in mood. The periods of highs and lows are called episodes of mania and depression.
Signs and symptoms of mania (or a manic episode) include:

* Increased energy, activity, and restlessness
* Excessively "high," overly good, euphoric mood
* Extreme irritability
* Racing thoughts and talking very fast, jumping from one idea to another
* Distractibility, can't concentrate well
* Little sleep needed
* Unrealistic beliefs in one's abilities and powers
* Poor judgment
* Spending sprees
* A lasting period of behavior that is different from usual
* Increased sexual drive
* Abuse of drugs, particularly cocaine, alcohol, and sleeping medications
* Provocative, intrusive, or aggressive behavior
* Denial that anything is wrong

A manic episode is diagnosed if elevated mood occurs with three or more of the other symptoms most of the day, nearly every day, for 1 week or longer. If the mood is irritable, four additional symptoms must be present.
Signs and symptoms of depression (or a depressive episode) include:

* Lasting sad, anxious, or empty mood
* Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
* Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
* Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed, including sex
* Decreased energy, a feeling of fatigue or of being "slowed down"
* Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
* Restlessness or irritability
* Sleeping too much, or can't sleep
* Change in appetite and/or unintended weight loss or gain
* Chronic pain or other persistent bodily symptoms that are not caused by physical illness or injury
* Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts

A depressive episode is diagnosed if five or more of these symptoms last most of the day, nearly every day, for a period of 2 weeks or longer.

-taken from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/Publicat/bipolar.cfm#bp1

sounds familiar? think alot of people have this bipolar disorder without realising it..

千百五十七：Richard Gere

i love the ad by RIchard Gere. the platinum card one, where he frees the birds in the market for the little girl? he is so charming ..

千百五十六： ermmm? ?

erm?

i am puzzled at the tag board's msges. thank u for those who are consoling me. for those who said "u just wishful thinking la" .. erh.. do u even noe the chain of events that has led to this?

firstly..



he proposed on july 4th, in the airplane from the way back from our Kyushu trip. -.-

4th of july, independence day. how apt.

since he proposed le, whats the problem with asking for his concrete plans? if ur bf proposed but refused to discuss ani details, refuse to talk about it, i don't believe any girl will just sit there and not get mad when he keeps hemhawing about his actions or just his plans? for the umpteenth time. ok la. aniway. maybe u all think that i am just being unreasonable then so be it lor. he knows why i am unhappy but he would rather be on good terms with his parents than with me since he noe i will give in aniway . -.-

back to the present.
moved into the weekly mansion (an apartment that lets people rent for short period, fully furnished since its a real apartment, one room apartment with utensils, microwave, tv, LAN, house 2 door fridge, amenities like towels, bathing stuff, dishwashing stuff, etc and cheaper than a hotel) great hor? and i finally get the privacy. spent a great day walking around with a light bag without any books/ laptop, just to get food for the week (got fridge got stove got microwave means can cook! got pots and pans oso!) since he's coming to stay over with me in the evenings (i am very near the capcom office actually) he can sleep at least 2 more hours b4 he has to get ready for work. so i can make him breakfast every morning! after the weekend, i suddenly understand the feelings of those who have conflict with the mother-in-law. they really fighting with u for their son. she made him so needy and dependent on her (breakfast every morning still made for him when he wakes up at 5am. so means the mom wakes up at 4am! and its like a full meal with rice, soup, meat and veges. and so of cos he will expect such treatment in the future right?! wah liu.) and he dun need to lift a finger to help with housework, his dad oso apparently. the mom just do everything nicely for them.

its such enormous pressure, from both the mother-in-law (she will expect her son to be treated like king after marriage as well ) and he will expect that kind of treatment oso. just laze around and everything gets done around him. yes i do love him thats y i put up with it and he does work very hard at work. but i won't put up with just work and no family time. he seems afraid and quite distant from his dad. his impression of a family is that the dad put all effort into work and his main role is to earn money for the family thats it. huh? what happened to fatherly love? in the end, end up so distant that the dad seems to be like the president where everyone tiptoes around him but no one actually tell him when something happens because they are too afraid of him blowing his top. which is why i react to the house issue with such anger. if he had asked his dad and his dad had heard him out and said no, ok, then i will respect the decision, since he did at least try asking him. and yes, if the dad have proved that he is willing to hear out reasonable reasons. but no. he didn'T even dare to ask. i mean? he is an adult liao lor. almost even middle-aged le. and he can't even speak maturely to his dad? ok la, never mind i seem to be ranting / complaining again.

yah .so why did i move here. cos they got a bad impression of me when i surprised visited them? then worse was he told them that i extended my stay and would stay on longer but he of cos, eager to escape blame and make me the scapegoat, neglected to say that he was the one who asKed me to extend my stay!! its like pRIMARY school?! like when the teacher ask "did you push the girl and make her fall down?" and he would be reluctantly answering "Yah.... but he made me do it!! " so as to pull someone else into the fire oso. haiz. stomach boiling. never mind.

yah .forget it. i will be making him delicious breakfast tomorrow too. humph.

千百五十五 ： Sadness

booboogal is very sad now.

she was very happy in the afternoon. when she found her dream home and he actually supported the decision because he also liked the house and the venue and of cos, as usual, she turned out to be right. but the turn of events in the evening, the 邪魔 (in jap, this means obstructions, pronounced as jya-ma) has made her very sad. the old fuddy duddies, the lack of courage (or should i say cowardice?) in him, to take a stand and properly get things on the right track has once again put all plans on hold.

she is not happy with them. and him.

she has tried her best to clear all the 邪魔 in her way. tried to get to stay on in japan after the training. (didnt work) tried to get her own way and freedom with the dumbo govt org that has bonded her for nothing. ( worked pretty well, cos of their own laziness and inefficiency and lack of foresight to see that no one would want to hire her). to surprise him in japan when she knew he would never do the same for her, he who has too much work commitments, who didn't take a single day of leave throughout the 3 weeks she was here to see him, who refused to get a new comp when his old one didn't support his sound card, mic function so that they couldn't make IP calls to each other and she had to call him via IDD. to stay on as long as she did, and extend her stay when he asked her to .. which made her a nuisance as an unwelcome overstayed guest in this house but he didn't explain to them that it was he who asked her to stay on longer and not that she had no courtesy to overstay her welcome.

he needs to get a guarantor for the new place. just a name. his dad/his mom or his bro. his dad had refused to it last year. this year, now, with a legit reason that she was to be staying on longer and more often and it was to be where they would live in in the future, he did not dare to ask. he tried to call his bro. who cut off his calls and did not call back. and he told her that this surprise stay had made his parent's impression of her worse. whose fault was it, to not have rented an apartment proper for her future visits? he said to work for her dad and get the freedom to come japan as often as possible, just stay at his place and help out with his mom in betw. now, he said it was a joke. a joke? he wasn't serious? she gave up seriously looking for a job for such a cruel joke?

now u can see why she can't stop crying.

千百五十四：it’s Friday again!

another week is gone and I got only one week left b4 having to go back again. I don’t want to.. seriously I don’t. but at least he will be coming in a month’s time liaoz.

This morning I slept until 7.30am? actually I woke up at 4.50am. cos he had to go Tokyo on business trip today. And to be on time for the 7.20am flight, he had to wake up at 5am to prepare and then catch the bus to the airport. Argh. So he made me wake him up. Since I wake up like at the slightest disturbance from his irritating alarm clock, but yet he sleeps through the sharpest noises like a log. Haizzz.

It actually takes less than an hour to reach the library here. So his house isn’t that far from the city after all (if I take the express train that is) I left the house at 8.30am (was watching morning news and they had the time on the top left corner of the screen.. why huh? To let people know they are going to be late for work? ) and took the 8.44am express and I was entering the library at 9.30am. fast hor? I even had to change trains at the subway. Hmm.

I’m going to bring him to see the house tomorrow. (or wats there) .. after intensive searching through realtors’ websites and all, it’s impossible to find anything built after year 2000, with 2 bedrooms or more, that costs less than 80,000yen per month and is near his parent’s place. So. This one is really the best one liao lor. I feel la. And I quite like the feeling I got when I stood there looking at it except the back of the house is near industrial area. And no large supermarket nearby, unfortunately. But there is a convenience store only across the road, the ok sized type with a carpark. Hopefully, he’ll agree to this place. (he is the one who’s going to pay the rent.. me can’t work in Japan and can’t contribute financially until I can properly move here after my bond is over..) yay! So happy! If I get a permanent residential address in Japan, I can finally join the SMAP fan club liao. woohoO!

On the topic of SMAP, I saw Jaclyn’s post of her fav SMAP song from the new album and I listened to that song. MOAI. Hmm. I prefer this other one. 星空の下で　(hoshizora no shita de) Under the stars. Dunno..i prefer this kind of sentimental romantic types, rather than motivational songs bah haha.

I’m reading Newsweek now, the issue of August 28, 2006 “The World’s Most Global Universities” and there’s a short article inside about Japan on page 4:
“Japan may be the 2nd wealthiest country in the world, but according to the Washington, DC-based Center for Global Development, it’s also the stingiest. This year’s Commitment to Development Index, just released by the CGD and Foreign Policy magazine, ranked Japan last, for the third year in a row. So what did Japan – the world’s largest aid donor just six years ago – do wrong? The CDI rankings of the world’s 21 richest countries judges how well they help improve lives in developing countries by looking at their policies not just in foreign aid but trade, investment, migration, environment, security and technology. Japan has high barriers on imported goods – its rice tariffs average 900 percent – and a low tolerance for immigration. Its foreign aid is the smallest as a share of its income and it has a poor environmental record. Still, Japan’s not the only one falling short. Says CDI7s David Roodman,:‘ Even the best could do better.’”
I’m feeling like a big “HUH” after reading this. Japan has a poor environmental record? It has one of the most active recycling programs in the world. Industrial wise, is it doing that badly? Fyi, the top 3 in the ranking were Holland, Denmark, Sweden (in order from 1 – 3), and the bottom 3 were Italy, Greece and Japan (in descending order of cos).

Another feature article, the global university article, lists the top 10 global universities as:
1. Harvard
2. Stanford
3. Yale
4. California Institute of Technology
5. UCBerkeley
6. University of Cambridge
7. MIT
8. University of Oxford
9. UCSan Francisco
10. Columbia
.
.
14. University of Tokyo
.
.
.
24. Kyoto University
.
.
.
31. National University of Singapore
and so on.

Global universities meaning with a high population of foreign students? Or just that it is more skewed to attracting foreign students, with good grant programs to attract top foreign researchers etc? hmmm.

Oh my god, sniffling in the library today. Have decided to watch Beautiful Life, and at episode 7? When the girl finally brought Kimura Takuya home to show her family, and her protective elder brother was like saying “why, she could be happy because she is with us. We have brought her up for so long. It could be she was turning happy because of us!!” when he was in denial that it was kimura takuya who was making her happier. So sad!! The sister is like finally growing up and the bro is so sad about it. very touching.

千百五十三：日本ドラマについて About Japanese Dramas

Japanese dramas are really good at making people cry. Happy tears, tears because you are so touched, or tears of sadness for the trauma that the characters are undergoing. Of cos when you see your idol crying, you definitely feel like crying oso… (T.T)
It’s really the 鼻子一酸　kind of feeling and then you can’t help but really start bawling.

Yesterday at the library, I realized I could use my laptop. With no internet connection, but it definitely helped, since I was able to watch dramas that I had dlded in the first few days I had been here but had had no time (no chance) to watch for the past week. Hero, A billion stars fall from the sky (空から降る一億の星), Beautiful Life, and Good Luck. I had been watching Good Luck on my house PC before I came and I wanted to know the ending so I had no choice but to download all over again in my laptop to watch.

So yesterday, was trying to learn javascript (since I was in the library and had my PC to try), and was playing the 空　drama as well. Supposed to be in the background, and it was a murder/thriller/psycho drama? And in the end of cos I spent most of my time watching it rather than learning. Wahaha. but I finished the whole show yesterday. All 11 episodes! The show is rather disturbing and I dunno wat to think of it. The ending was very sad, and yah, I did wanted to cry (since my鼻子一酸) but I was in the library and I didn’t want to be reprimanded or be told off in anyway for misusing their electricity (watching dramas don’t really count as library serious work I should think?) so I was like alt-tabbing and trying to 忍 not to let any tears come out. Only sniffled, but man!!!! This is the first time I see in any drama that Kimura Takuya is sort of the bad guy and that he died, he actually died. It was disturbing, to have his image in my heart sorta tarnished. -.- but it at least proves that he is a good actor. Haiz.

If u can dl / get the vcd/ dvd, go watch. Very different from the morale-boosting shows u always see him act in as the hero, this one even involves incest. -.- and him being a playboy. A lot of sex and manipulation and of cos deaths. Suicides, murders, psychotic obsessive lovers (the kind who will stalk u and hurt everyone u associate with or hurt herself to make u like her more).. I think my face was very obvious when it was a 緊張 part, cos suddenly I would look up and see the people at the table staring at me in amusement. And I would also gasp at some parts (u noe murder mysteries la) .. abit paiseh. Hehe. But very terrible ending. Terrible as in.. sad . not that its not a fitting ending just that I wished it hadn’t been such a dark show.

So I stayed in the library until 8pm last nite, until Ryo came back from Tokyo then went to meet him and go home together. Towards the end, I was getting bored, and was actually playing spider solitaire. Its damn difficult lor!

And I discovered a Mister Donuts here! For the past week I had been like leaving the library to have lunch at only 4pm so that I dun have to come back again. But since I discovered Mister Donuts the day b4, I have been tabooing doughnuts to have lunch here ( I dun like to eat bento .. cold rice and cold fried chicken which has turned hard and soggy are not oishii at all. ) finally. dun need to starve myself everyday.

Hmm any more news? Oh yeah, typhoon No. 10 is coming. Typhoon number 7 past us last week, the nearest typhoon to have reached Osaka this year but it skimmed off the coast of Wakayama and went straight to Tokyo. So all we got was wind and a relief from the stagnant scorching weather. Which was great. So Number 10 is hitting Kyushu today but will be rolling towards Korea. Last night it was very windy. But the air was still hot air. Yuck. Oh and typhoon No. 10, its name is Wukong. Hehe.

I think I just found my perfect house. We were discussing how I can’t stay at his place the next time I visit, because I have to loiter outside until evening b4 I can head back home so as not to inconvenience his parents (if I am at home they can’t go out and leave me at home apparently .. ) and Its only been one week? And its really tiring and money consuming. You noe if u outside then u have to eat outside etc. and the tendency to spend money if u are outside oso. And I can’t like wash my underwear etc openly cos I can’t hang my stuff in people’s house right ? where got anyone in their right mind will bring 22 pieces of underwear for everyday that they are here?? So wat I’m doing now is secretly wash when I bathe quite late in the evening (luckily the laundry area is outside the bathroom) and then hang my laundry somewhere discreet in his room so that when it’s dry in the morning I can just remove it b4 they see it. That has been working well so far. One more thing, there is no privacy. Jap style houses are like sliding doors right ? so the doors of the room are like wide open and I can’t close it cos I scared I will offend them or wat. And the dad sits right at the corner where he can see into almost the whole bedroom and what I am doing. Very irritating!!

oh. But I digress. So we decided to just look around for an apartment or what for the next time I’m here and we found this place that was still under construction but will be finished in October this year. It’s a 2-story block of apartments ? like.. 12 units joined together, each unit has 2 levels. So the first level is a living / dining room, with 2 more rooms, and a flight of stairs that lead to a loft on the 2nd level. Very cool hor! The 2nd level is actually just that loft / attic area. The whole room size is about 50 metre squares? I think. And its only like 15 min from his parent’s place (15 min walk) with the rent being in his budget and best thing is that its new lor!! Hoho. I going to take a look later (at the construction area bah) and take some pics to show and to evaluate whether it really is as good as I think. Woohoo!! So exciting!! The only minus is that its parking lot is so ex. In japan, u have to pay for a parking space (even if the parking space belongs to ur apartment!) and the space’s price is quite atrocious. Its 18,000 yen per month which is like S$250++? -.- never mind. Will go see first.

Oh yah, by the way, I typed this entry in the afternoon so if u are only reading this at nite (cos I have no internet now and can only publish this entry at nite), please forgive me if it sounds weird.

So happy!!! New house!!

Sidenote:
Time now: 1435
I just finished watching Good Luck and I’m sniffling in the library again! (T.T) so touching. After the crisis of safely landing in the power failure crisis, the tears came as a sign of relief that everyone was safe and sound. Phew. And when the ice man finally broke down his icy exterior and said thank you to kimura takuya, it was just so touching to see these 2 men become friends at last. And at the end when the stewardess and the iceman got back together after her long wait and her constant support of him despite his psychological barriers after the first crash, it made me cry again. (cos the stewardess was crying oso.. in happiness I think. ) oh. In Japan, stewardess is called CA. Cabin Attendant. Interesting hor.

time now: 1851
sitting in the playground and leeching someone's wireless broadband. his dad hasnt come back and i have resort to doing this. i have walked around looking for the house, and i saw 2 being built i hope its the nicer one, the one almost completed. cos the other one.. seems.. dubious. hmm.

千百五十二 ： New Oriental Hotel

i am staying in a hotel tonight. was staying at his place for the past week. but today, he went on business trip (tonite) so i had to stay in a hotel or else i be home alone with his dad. i actually dun see wat's wrong with that, but think his dad is uncomfortable with it. haiz.

but aniwayz.here i am. the room is quite small but ok cheap la. near the city, bout 5000 yen for tonight, has a 20inch AQUOS Sharp lcd Plasma tv. wahah! the tv is the best thing in this small room. but ok la. i enjoy the privacy. have had no privacy for the past week and had to loiter around until evening for the past week and it was damn tiring. and to sleep on the futon oso. have not been sleeping well. i dunno why, but last nite i woke up every hour? i was very dizzy this morning when it was time to wake up and i even actually fell asleep in the library.

so the earliest change i had, i left the library,went to thai airways (the ticketing office was super near the library, another plus!) and i found out that... it was possible to change my air tix to sunday morning. BUT. the Bangkok - Singapore leg had no seats!! for the whole day! there were five flights for sunday and all were full. -.- stupid. but if i fly on sat, i would miss one precious day with him! argh. maybe i'll just sit at kansai airport until sunday nite after he's left for his europe trip on sunday afternoon. and fly then cos Monday morning, seats are still available from Bangkok to Singapore. .. have to ask him first bah.

so i came to the hotel at bout 4pm, happily settled in with my PC (got LAN broadband access in all rooms yay!) and played around trying to implement those homepage stuff i was reading in the library. hoho. when i am ready i will show u bah.

have to wake up early tomorrow again. ciaoz

千百五十一： サボった

oops. been lazy during the weekend. oh . to show u my bowling score from the game on saturday.



hehe. in descending order:
1. 37 - the lane we bowled in
2. 36 - the score of my first game
3. 35 - the score of my second game.

(=.=) so paiseh. so low. -.- but i really forgot how to bowl liao. dunno how many years never touch a bowling ball le. argh.

today at the library until 5pm . i finally satisfied my craving of the korean food for dinner/lunch. happy! even though i had to eat alone. argh.

and after that, i went to look around yodobashi to estimate how a future furnishing of our house of the essential electronics would cost us when we are newlyweds. and to live comfortably (middle end budget for all items) would set us back 960000 yen. which is about... 960000 / 1000 * 13.5 = S$12960! seems like a huge amt to me. but is it really huh? thats only electronics like fridge and stuff, no furniture calculated yet even. -.- cham liaoz..

千百五十：天王寺動物園

the zoo!

yah i finally satisfied a long time urge of going to the zoo. the Tennoji Zoo in osaka that is. it was.. abit boring.

cos..
1. i was alone.
2. the zoo was quite empty.
3. not alot of animals (think some part was under construction)
4. it was scorching hot. :x

but.. i did see some nice animals.. the ones i liked best.. were the elephant and the polar bear.




the poor polar bear was in an outdoors enclosure. OUTDOORS!!! in the heat of 37℃!! i was surprised it hasnt fainted. but it was pacing around and after like 5 min, it jumped into the moat. poor thing.

and.. saw penguins with feathers.



this means they are still babies right? and since half of their feathers are like gone, i guess it means that they are growing up bah.

and then after that i went to the museums. the Osaka Art Museum, also at Tennoji, was having an exhibition borrowed some world famous works from Prado, the Spanish Museum.



unfortunately, photos are not allowed in the museum. sighz.

went to the osaka peace center after that..



once again, no photos in the venue allowed. :( but this is one of the more comprehensive war exhibitions i have seen in japan. at least it went into detail about what the japanese soldiers did in the Southeast Asian region during WWII and even showed samples of the history textbooks that spoke of the Jap's treatment of the Malaysians, Indonesians, Singaporeans etc. good that they are improving their history education of their people liao.

after that.. went to the entrepreneur's museum.



and i finally understood who was the inventor of the Cup Noodles!


tada! presenting mr Ando Momofuku.



and his inventions.

hoho. had a very educational day. used up 4 coupons from my museum pass book liao. going to earn the rest next week.

went bowling today, i was very very lousy. i think u will be shocked when u see the scores. -.- so embarrasing. i realli dunno how to bowl liao. argh.

千百四十九：３５℃& rising

wah . the temperature hit a high of 35℃ today. actually that's only in osaka. somewhere else in japan, i saw on the news, was 39℃.

*faintz*

can't imagine how the people wearing suits feel.

this morning, i left as usual with Ryo in the morning. had planned to go museum or 天橋立　(amanohashidate - one of japan's 3 most beautiful places). at 天橋立、if you look at the view both the right side up or upside down, the amazing thing is that they look the same. hard to believe huh? i will go and tell u whether it's true.

the other 2 of the 3 most beautiful places (known as 日本三景）are:
1. Miyajima 宮島 (at Hiroshima)　=> i went le haha, the red temple gate in the sea
2. Matsushima 松島 (at Miyagi Prefecture) => famous for the group of islets all covered with pine trees..

will go to the last one one day. (preferably within the next year) heh.

oh yah. as i was saying. its so hot i sorta just pushed all my plans outta my head. i even bought the museum pass liao, but the thought of having to walk in the sun just made me feel faint. in the end, came back to the house, luckily someone was in, and i just spent the rest of the morning watching a kimu taku drama. 空から降る一億の星　(the smile has left your eyes) the english title doesnt do any justice to the Japanese title, which actually means "the billion stars will fall from the sky". very engrossing show so far. kimura'S character so far has been quite an enigma, i don't know whether to hate him or to be seduced. go watch if u got the chance. the drama was released by Fuji Tv in 2002. (thanks jac for telling me bout it!)

and then in the afternoon, took a nap and perspired until the pillow was wet. yah. and the futon oso. it was that that that hot that i woke up with a headache. argh. in the evening, his mom came in and we chatted and i showed her photos of our travels. hoho. gain some points i hope.

okie. tomorrow i must at least go to 5 of the museums. nite nite.

千百四十八：Freakonomics

i bought this book today.. Freakonomics

it was.. enlightening. the economist Steven Levitt explained social issues in very unconventional theories but .. they could be true. like. due to the Roe Vs Wade case which legalised abortion in USA, it led to the falling crime rates in the years to come. why? because, when abortion was legalised, hundreds of thousands of women went for it. the reasons they felt they were not ready led them to have the abortion process which led to unwanted children NOT being born. before this, when abortion was still illegal, those women who were not ready had no choice but to give birth to kids they didn't want to have. and these kids, were not given as much care as kids whose parents actually wanted them of cos. and led to them going wayward and hence the increased crime rates until when abortion was legalised, the crime rates started falling around 10 years after that. just because the would-be criminals were not given birth to. he had data to support it too. which is like a very mind-boggling thing. since they always attributed crime rates to lack of policing, etc.

very cool way of thinking i must say.

okie.. here's a pic of the library locker key. with the key for the umbrella stand oso. haha. very japanese ..



interesting hor? the place was actually full this afternoon. people were queueing up to use the study desks. luckily i went there first thing in the morning. but this irritating guy sat next to me who smells weird. and he was like at the corner corner but he kept taking up my space lor. Ass!!

and i took a very nice photo of a spiderweb today..


:) tomorrow the library is closed.. dunno where i should go liao. haizzz

千百四十七：Rose Garden 中の島バラ園

i have uploaded alot of photos of the past 2 days .. :)

Osaka trip

and i went to a rose garden today!

everyday i have walked home that route from the office in february and i have never noticed that there was a sign that says "バラ園”バラ＝bara=rose in japanese. weird hor?!



the entrance and there was a map of the garden..



the path of roses (on the left), there was a atria of roses in the middle and then a courtyard of roses. hehe. it sounds very big, but actually it wasn't. but the path was pretty long.

this is my personal favourite pic of all the flowers i snapped today.



this is known as the chiffon. they looked the most beautiful in the whole garden... and still blooming most of them, whereas most of the other species were either full liao and withering or already all dead. hmmmm. like this.



see what i mean? but its pretty cool . i have never seen a whole garden full of roses b4 and its really a very very serene place to be wandering around by myself and to chance upon on such a fine day.

i went to the library again today.. and i stayed there until 3pm. wahah. i can't believe it too. cos firstly, i can't leave the library for lunch w/o returning my locker key, which in turn meaning i will lose my seat since i like it alot, and there were many people coming in, and i was forced to sit there until 3pm. b4 i really couldn't cram anymore stuff into my head liao. luckily, his mom makes these wonderful breakfasts every morning. rice, soup and some meat, salad, and somemore carbo. damn filling and i always feel like i am going to puke when i am leaving the house. luckily, i didn't and it sustained me the whole day until 5pm? in the end didn't have to eat lunch liao, just ate dinner and came back. hoho. save money ..

back to the books again tomorrow. not bad.. i actually quite remember the differentiation stuff i learnt in JC. its actually just revising, these things i been reading the past few days, that's why so easy i guess.

i saw a pamphlet for a 3month-validity Museum entrance pass (<- click to see the website!), due to promotion of their culture and boosting visitor count of these places (?) and it only costs 1000 yen (like $13? ) and includes entry to 18 museums, all counted for le. and most of them are in osaka! so .. i am going to go as soon as i finish the book. hoho.

千百四十六：Osaka Self-Entertainment

i went to study at the library today. so guai!! HAHA. cos i didnt want to be at home alone with his parents so i left in the morning with him at like 7.39am? and nothing was open yet, and the earliest place to be open was the library. so i had prepared my books there, and its been so long since i just sat down and studied totally with no distractions.



this is the library.. its a colonial-styled building.. roman-styled ? with alot of pillars..

and because we were not allowed food / drinks in, only what we needed. we were given locker keys and matching table numbers assigned to your locker number, in typical japanese efficiency and we had to bring up our things in our hands or in a clear folder. -.- and the PC room, i couldn't use, cos i had to show some ID with proof of address (in case u do something wrong i guess) and the rules were quite strict, no emails, no chatting etc. and there weren't much ENglish books, i only managed to find a English copy of Newsweek after wandering around and i almost fell asleep twice while reading my text. zzzz. but ok la. it was realy conducive for studying. i finished my chapters so fast i was surprised it was only noon? and i didn't want to read finish everything else i had nothing to do the next few weeks. hmm.

so i left the library at lunch 1+? and went to run errands.. to buy the stuff i actually came here for. haha. had bought this full day metro pass so i intended to use it wisely.

tada!



as u can see. the card has all the stations i entered/exited printed at the back.. and each trip is minimum 200 yen so its a total bargain! wahahah! and i finished the left half of the osaka subway map! haha. i finally visited the Tamade station:



hehe. it was actually a boring station, suburban area? but the weather was scorching and very clear skies.

very nice hor? the sky i mean..

but at least i finally seen it!

hmm the rest of the trip was station surfing. the route went to the osaka bay / port area. and i walked to world trade center in the scorching sun. :x almost died. the building is actually quite cool from the exterior.



nice huh?

yah i went in, got stuck in the arcade playing medal game for 2 hours (and wasted money (><) .. Haiz... and then went to meet my boy for dinner. hee. most fun part of the day actually. i dun like to move around alone, no one to share beautiful things u see on the way or to take pics with. (^-^)

tomorrow studying again. zzZ . nitez.

千百四十五：where my heart belongs

i am now addicted to paparazzi blogs. check this one out.

http://fadedyouth.blogspot.com/

very aptly, the blog is named celebrity terrorist. all the lastest gossip about the celebrities! don't u just love reading how they are only human and mess up their lives despite earning tons and having almost everything you would want to have in your life?

there's this other one oso.. she has a blogroll of all other good paparazzi sites but unfortunately, she herself has stopped writing.

http://celebritysailing.blogspot.com/

yup yup, i have executed my plan. he was very much surprised (hopefully happy too) and luckily i was't hit by any surprises. phew. the flight was pretty tiring. because the planes were very full ? advice : don't fly on weekends.

during the first leg, i was seated to this MCP korean. his folks (Old people) were seating behind me and kept pushing my seat. u noe how uncomfortable you get when people keep jabbing your seat from behind? and they kept jabbering away in very loud voices. haiz. i don't like people talking loudly in tight and public spaces. and i had to endure the PDA show the thai couple was giving in front of me. and there were a bunch of very chio thai he-shes who were parading up and down the aisle. haiz. the korean guy next to me treated my space like his space. ie, open his arms wide when he was spreading his blanket (and hitting me of cos) and open his legs wide so that i have to like keep to one side of my seat? ARGH! dinner was quite.. bad. i ordered chicken, the man next to me oso ordered chicken, we got fish lei. we didnt compare of cos, i sneaked a look at his after i tasted fish on mine and i was like wondering, ay? but his turned out to be the same. hmm.

and the 2nd leg. Thai airport was a mess. there were so many people! and the gate was changed and i didn't know until i realised i couldn't see my flight on the board and had to ask someone.there was some japanese guy missing from another japan flight and they kept announcing his name but he didn't show up. in the end, the flight was announced delayed. for that one guy. wow. and i wanted to wash my face (my face felt very icky after the flight) and i couldn't find any shop selling towel. and only on the plane, i realised i had checked in my facial foam. grr. and i was seated beside an old man this time. luckily both times i was given aisle seats. and thai didnt have inflight entertainment! this being a night flight, the captain shut off all tvs to "let us have some sleep" and so, i had no reason to stay awake so instead just tried to sleep. grr. but the breakfast was not bad. thai styled fried noodles. i actually finished it. it was a good move packing my toothbrush on my carry on, i was feeling super icky by then. brush teeth, washed up, and my face was still looking horrendous from the facial so had to cover up abit. (T.T) sadz..

but aniway, i am here le! hooray! yodobashi games section has shifted to the basement, hmm wonder wat the 5th flr became. yup yupz. happy to see this place again. my heart totally belongs here liao ...

千百四十四：☆D-Day☆

yesterday, he asked me what the surprise was and who should he look out for. i told him to look out for this:



hehe.. with the dog dragging a present behind.. so cute right? of cos, whether that's true or not is another matter. :p

making last minute preparations for it. so excited, the day i been waiting for the past month or so is finally here! and my sister is back! yay! more pictures to look out for, stay tuned.

hohoho..

千百四十三：薬 (><) + CLICK

click (the movie).. is great! we thought it was a comedy. it was.. until the story progressed. dunno if i should put any spoilers here? but .. enjoyed it tremendously.and i managed to guess the identity of the scientist Morty directly at the start of the show! wahaha.reading david eddings does help. hoho. well done adam sandler.

i was reading the wikipedia entry on on Adam Sandler and did you noe he was slated to act in charlie and the chocolate factory but johnny depp won the role in the end?? if the producers had that gayish image in mind when they selected the actor then, i don't think adam sandler suited that role at all. johnny depp, on the other hand, has that sorta feminine features that allow him to star in both masculine and feminine roles without losing his credibility? and check out adam sandler's website : http://www.adamsandler.com/

i realised i've missed the Benchwarmers last month? but that one stars rob schneider, not adam sandler so i guess the interest wasnt really there. for a guy with so many funny movies, the quality of each is surprisingly good.

finally went to the doctor's this morning. she said i had an allergy, but she didn't say to what, and i have no clue still. so she gave me some medicine, a nasal spray and the medicine works. although my throat is really dry now. bordering on sore throat. ...

and met jaclyn for dinner, we went billy bombers. chatted all sorts again.. :) discussions about the tragedy of today's teenagers moral downfall and all sorts of weird stuff. haha..

i wished it was already friday.

千百四十二：サボった

最近ブログのアップデートをサボった・・ごめんね

today was jap lesson day again. yippie! but feeling too tired today to really enjoy the lesson and today was the first time i couldn't wait for the lesson to end.

did i mention my left eye is swollen _? i actually look like this little boy now:

i kid you not.

i can see my bottom eyelid's lashes when i look down lor. -.- and can barely open my eye, and i look weird with one eye obviously smaller than the other. argh. but.. dun think there's anything wrong with the eye (like infection or wat) cos i can wear contacts still.. and i had refrained from make-up the past 2 days but it made no difference except made me look really gruesome. so i had to refrain from touching my eye for the past 2 days even though it itches.

ok.. it started when i rubbed my eyes in the morning on monday. it (the left eye) got itchier as i rubbed it so i rubbed it pretty hard until it began to hurt (and was still itching) and i stopped and it was kinda swollen but after that the swell didnt subside. instead, it became a blue black and i looked like someone had punched me in the eye. i dunno if its the allergy thing, cos both my eyes have been feeling very very itchy ever since i was back. (no such thing in japan happening) and my nose is still running everyday. (T.T) why why why??

thank god. only 2 more days till my sister is back.

and the fudge from Harrods that kana bought me is really delicious!!



you must get this if u go England or have frens going england. it tastes like the "Rabbit sweets" we used to eat when we were young, but totally smoother and great aftertaste. mUst try!! i left it in the office like for 1 day, my mom b4 that say she dun wan to eat, guess wat, this morning came back left only 3. grrrr!!!

ok dead tired. have had no chance to webcam or talk to ryo for the past 2 nites. sighz. have a good day everyone.

oh and something weird from the land of the rising sun:
enjoy！ ☆